Mud Bug
Hand made things are better
Last week I made a canoe carrier for my wife's pickup. It's easy to load and unload, and it'll work (should work) with about any pickup and any canoe. It'd take two to carry a bigger canoe into position, of course, but one to mount it on the truck.
The back post slips into the receiver hitch and can be set higher or lower for different height trucks, and the top tilts and pivots. You set one end of the canoe on it and then set the other end on the ground (in any direction) while you clip the foam paddy-things onto the gunnels. Then lift the other end, rotate it to the top of the truck, and tie it down. If there were a rack on top of the truck it'd be better, but there isn't. (There's only so much I can do to my wife's truck.) Taking it off is just as easy, and the thwart's at a good height so you don't have to stoop over much to lift--just crouch a bit and walk away with it.
My back cross board needs to be a tad longer so it's an easier target. And it needs prettier carpet.
My dad made something like this for his IH Scout back in the 60's, but his pivoted on the front. I wish I had a picture of that rig. It was great. He loaded his 16 foot Yankee with it alone. I'll dig through the family pictures some time and see if I can find it.
I'd love to see what other folks have done and hear suggestions for mine. I've looked here for a thread about canoe carriers but haven't found one.
The back post slips into the receiver hitch and can be set higher or lower for different height trucks, and the top tilts and pivots. You set one end of the canoe on it and then set the other end on the ground (in any direction) while you clip the foam paddy-things onto the gunnels. Then lift the other end, rotate it to the top of the truck, and tie it down. If there were a rack on top of the truck it'd be better, but there isn't. (There's only so much I can do to my wife's truck.) Taking it off is just as easy, and the thwart's at a good height so you don't have to stoop over much to lift--just crouch a bit and walk away with it.
My back cross board needs to be a tad longer so it's an easier target. And it needs prettier carpet.
My dad made something like this for his IH Scout back in the 60's, but his pivoted on the front. I wish I had a picture of that rig. It was great. He loaded his 16 foot Yankee with it alone. I'll dig through the family pictures some time and see if I can find it.
I'd love to see what other folks have done and hear suggestions for mine. I've looked here for a thread about canoe carriers but haven't found one.